Vitality
by Dani Valentine
Summary: Buffy and Giles celebrate their victory over The First, and finally have a conversation long overdue. Sequel to Mortality


**Title: Vitality**  
 **Rating: FRM**  
 **Pairing: Buffy/Giles**  
 **Summary: Buffy and Giles celebrate their victory over The First, and finally have a conversation long overdue. Sequel to my 2012 Summer of Giles fic "Mortality"**  
 **Timeline: Post-Chosen**  
 **Word Count: ~2200**  
 **Note: Written for Summer of Giles 2015**

* * *

 _Knock. Knock. Knock._

Giles looked up from his papers. He'd managed to pack a few things onto the bus that morning. He'd planned on going straight to the airport after the battle, wanting to get back to England to salvage what he could of the council and his career. Sunnydale collapsing into the Earth had definitely put a pin in his plans.

He stood up and walked over to the door, looking through the peephole. "Buffy," He greeted her. "Was there something you needed?" He asked, she was carrying a large bottle of whiskey; he didn't figure it as her drink of choice.

She held up the bottle. "We survived the apocalypse, Giles. I say we party." She had a smile on her face, but it didn't reach her eyes. They had indeed survived the apocalypse, but it had a steep price.

He opened the door a bit wider and stepped aside so she could come in. "I didn't figure you for a whiskey drinker."

"It's from the hotel gift shop." She explained. "They didn't have any scotch."

"I didn't figure that as your drink of choice either." He pointed out. "Where are the others?" He asked, turning to grab both wrapped plastic cups off the mini fridge, but when he turned around he found Buffy taking a large gulp straight from the bottle.

She made a face of disgust as she lowered the bottle and wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand. "Well, Principal Wood is in the hospital, it was touch and go for a while but he's stable now, Faith is with him. There are two girls in the ICU and five others are under observation. The girls that aren't in the hospital have all decided to go patrol. I think the slayer power is getting to their heads."

He smiled softly and took the bottle from her and poured himself some in the plastic cup as he listened.

"Willow is sleeping, I stopped by her room and I don't think anything could wake her up right now." She said. "I'm not exactly sure about Xander, I didn't want to disturb him after…" She trailed off and sat down, Giles and Anya fought like cats and dogs, but she knew that there was a kind of affection he reserved for the former demon.

He took a sip of his whisky. It wasn't the best he'd ever had, but it also wasn't the worst. Much like his day.

"What are we going to do, Giles?" She asked him. It made him think of the days when she needed him to know the answer to that question.

"That's up to you, Buffy. I-I'm heading back to England." He admitted, before downing the last of his whiskey.

"Right." She said, her voice more distant than it had been a moment ago. "There's another hellmouth in Cleveland, I guess, it would be silly to think I could have a normal life."

He placed his hand on her arm as she started to raise the bottle to her lips. She met his gaze.

"You're always welcome to join me in England. You're not the only slayer, there's nothing to say that you need to be in Cleveland." He moved his hand off of her arm, but instead of taking a sip of the booze, she placed the bottle on the table.

It occurred to him that this was the first time they'd been alone together since he had come to her room a few months back with a bottle of scotch. He had kissed her, and though she'd promised they would talk about it in the morning they never did. By the time he had been agreed to help Robin deal with their Spike issue, it seemed his and Buffy's fractured relationship could never be mended.

It seemed she was having the same thoughts. "We never talked about the night. You know the one where we slept together… I didn't mean that the way it sounded." She said, blushing. "We slept, and we were in the same bed but there was no togetherness in the…uh, the biblical sense."

He couldn't help but smile at her stumbling effort to explain herself, though he already knew what she meant. "You don't need to clarify, Buffy, I was there."

"Well, I mean, I didn't know if you remembered, you were kind of hammered." She pointed out.

"I was rather." He agreed. "I still, however, remember everything that happened. It wasn't something I could forget, nor would I ever wish to. I got the distinct impression you did not feel the same way."

"What makes you think that? Just because I wasn't there the next morning and I avoided you until you left to collect some more potentials?" She knew he knew she had avoided him and it made the entire situation more awkward than it needed to be. They had kissed. So what? There wasn't even any tongue. Therein lay the problem, as far as kisses went it was fairly innocent, but the feelings it evoked were anything but.

"You needn't explain yourself to me." He said, refilling his plastic cup. If they were going to have this conversation now he was going to need more to drink.

"I know, but I want to." She said. "We… we kissed." She whispered. She wasn't exactly sure why she was whispering, but figured if there was ever a conversation that warranted whispering it was a conversation about kissing her Watcher. "And if I go with you, I don't want to be settled in England then have this conversation and one of us end up leaving."

"I kissed you, Buffy. You responded, but I won't read anything into it other than it wasn't a completely repulsive experience." He said, smiling slightly as he tried to lighten the mood.

"Well, I mean, who can be sure? It only lasted a moment." She said. His smile faltered. "So I guess we better try it again, you know, just to make sure."

His grin returned and he took his glasses off, setting them on the table. She moved her chair around the table so they were facing each other without the table between them.

He reached out and cupped her cheek as she closed her eyes in anticipation. Their faces were mere inches apart and he could feel her breath on his face, as he was sure she could feel his. He closed the gap and pressed his lips to hers.

She leaned into him, bringing their bodies closer, as close as they could be while still sitting in their chairs. She didn't know how long the kiss lasted, but when they broke apart they were both breathless.

He ran his thumb along her swollen lower lip. "I trust you're satisfied." He said as his hand moved down her neck.

"Not the word I would use." She said, moving out of her chair to straddle him in his.

"Is there anything I can do to allay your curiosity?" He asked.

His hands settled on her hips, as he tried to keep her from feeling the growing evidence of his interest in her. So far they hadn't done anything they couldn't come back from. There was a line, and if she asked him to step over it, he would.

Instead of answering him she took his face between her hands and kissed him again, deepening it after a moment. He returned the kiss with equal fervor, though prepared himself to pull away if it started to go too far. Which is exactly what it did when he felt her hands tugging at his sweater.

"Buffy…" He said, pulling back slightly.

"Giles, please." She said. "It's okay."

She had lost a lot today, her home, her former lover, a friend, everything she owned. He knew that if he went through with this and she regretted it the next day it would be just as damaging to their already strained relationship as rejecting her advances.

In the end he could no more deny her this than he could deny himself air. He lifted his arms, letting her pull his sweater off his body. Her hands immediately went to his chest.

He wasn't about to let their first time together be on a cheap, uncomfortable chair, so he placed his hands under her bum as he pushed himself into a standing position. His body ached in protest, it had taken quite a beating in the battle earlier, but he wasn't about to let it show. It was only two steps to the bed, though it seemed like more as her lips ghosted across his skin.

He asked if she was sure, and when she replied he placed her in the middle of the bed and settled on top of her. They undressed each other slowly as they enjoyed exploring each other's body with hands and lips. His thumb traced across the pink line on her abdomen; a wound that had not yet healed entirely, but by morning it would just be a memory.

When they were ready he turned to lie on his back while she moved her leg over him, straddling his hips. He looked down and watched as she sank slowly onto him. They both paused once he was seated fully inside her before she started lifting herself up only to sink back down.

Once she established a rhythm, he sat up and kissed her deeply, his arms wrapping around her.

It only took a few minutes for them to find their release and collapse onto the bed together, exhausted.

* * *

The next morning, Buffy was the first to wake. The sight of her two best friends, her little sister, and Faith at the foot of the bed greeted her. It took a moment for her brain to catch up with the events of last night, and who the arm that was draped over her waist belonged to. She was relieved that at some point during the night Giles had pulled a blanket over their naked bodies.

"Way to go, B. I always knew you had it in you." Faith said, while the other three stood slack jawed.

Buffy groaned in embarrassment and pulled a pillow over her face in time for Giles to wake up and notice that they weren't alone. "Uh, why exactly are you all in my room?" He asked, trying to sound natural and relaxed, and not at all like he'd just been caught naked, in bed, with his Slayer.

Dawn was the one that answered. "Buffy never came back to our room last night, and well… we came to tell you that she was missing."

"She's clearly not missing, as you can see, so why are you still in my room?" He asked.

"I was hoping to catch the encore." That response earned Faith disgusted sounds from Xander and Dawn, while Willow and Giles both blushed.

Buffy didn't even look out from under the pillow she was hiding under, she grabbed Giles' pillow and threw it at Faith.

"Alright, fine, we're leaving. We're all heading to the hospital at noon, we expect you both to be there." Faith said, ushering the others out. She grabbed the 'do not disturb' placard and hooked it on the outside of the door.

Buffy turned to face him. "I guess we don't have to worry about telling everyone." She said, scooting closer to him.

He smiled slightly. "Have you given any thought to where you'd like to go?"

"I was thinking IHOP. I don't know why, but I'm really craving pancakes right now."

"Buffy, you know very well that's not what I meant." He said.

"Giles, I'm starving. Feed me, or you're going to have a very cranky slayer on your hands." She said.

"You're not going to starve in the next three minutes." He assured her. "If you need more time to think about it, that's fine, you can take all the time you need. England will still be there when you're done."

She sighed. "I don't need to think about it, Giles." She said, her hand on his chest. "I don't know what I'd do in England."

"I understand." He said, pulling away slightly. He wanted an answer and he'd gotten it.

"Well by the look on your face you obviously don't. I don't know what I'd do in England, but I might as well go so I can figure it out." She said. "I don't know what this is, between us. But I know I'm not going to figure it out if I'm here and you're there. Plus, we have a council to rebuild. Who better to help you than the Slayer?"

He grinned and pulled her against him, kissing her deeply.

She pulled back after a few moments and stood up, looking back at him as she made her way to the shower. "Besides, after what Dawn just saw, I think it'll be a lot easier to split the therapy bill living in the same country."

He laughed and followed her into the shower.

They still had a lot to figure it out, but with the battle with The First over, they had time to figure it out; hopefully before the next apocalypse.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed the fic. If so, please take a couple of seconds to leave me a review.**


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